The Wedding
by Raeinspace
Summary: Emma & Regina are engaged and preparing for their wedding. Will they make it to the altar or will their pasts keep them from going through with it? Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, etc...**

* * *

><p>Emma held out her hand and waited for Regina to take it. The ex-Queen rose gracefully from her seat and stepped towards her wife. It was their song. "I won't give up" by Jason Mraz. The song Emma had sung to her at the karaoke and the one they had danced to at Ruby's wedding.<p>

Footsteps followed the soft beat as Emma led her towards the dance floor, hands moving automatically to their places. Her right went around Emma's waist holding her close, the other intertwined their fingers and she tucked her elbows in bringing their hands up against their shoulders. Emma rested her head against Regina, closing her eyes.

"I love you." She whispered.

Regina smiled and directed them slowly around the dance floor as other couples came to join them. Her eyes glanced down at their wedding rings giving her a strange feeling in her stomach as she remembered the last time she had worn one.

The air chilled, the lights flickered and Regina frowned as the song quietened down. She looked around to see what was happening. Emma had stepped away from her, moving back towards Snow and Charming. Regina reached for her, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Slowly she turned around.

_Leopold._

He smiled at her, words echoing those spoken so long ago and grabbing her arm. "My wife."

Regina tried to move away, but she was trapped. She looked around for help, for Emma but she only saw the faces of her enemies. Leopold pulled her close as another song began to play, forcing her to dance with him. Regina tried to speak, but the crowd's chant drowned everything out.

"Long live the Queen."

* * *

><p>Regina woke, gasping for breath, her body trembling. She quickly pushed back the covers, ran into the bathroom and locked the door. After looking around to make sure she was alone, her body crumpled down onto the cool tiles. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her forehead against her knees and stared into the darkness surrounding her skin. She kept her voice to a whisper, reminding herself that it was just a dream. She was in Storybrooke, and Leopold was dead. The nightmare wasn't real.<p>

When her breathing finally evened out she lifted her head and, blinking as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. She could pick out the light switch on the wall, but knew if she used it Emma would wake. Regina didn't want her to worry. Taking one deep breath, then another, she relaxed her arms and legs before trying to stand. As she walked back to the bed, the fingers on her right hand reached for her left, twisting the ring on her finger.

Regina slipped into her usual place on the bed, drawing the blankets towards her. Emma turned over, moving closer to her, but didn't wake. Regina watched her sleep for a little while, her eyes following the curve of Emma's eyelashes to the outline of her stubborn chin. She liked this, having Emma in her life, in her bed. Just knowing the other woman was there, noticing the change when they were alone together. Emma had to put on a show for the rest of the town, try to live up to her friends and family's expectations as the Saviour and daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. When it was just the two of them she could relax, let her guard down. Regina loved this Emma. She wanted to protect her, look after her and keep her safe, even though she knew the rest of the Storybrooke would laugh at the idea. No matter what happened, they still remembered the past and were waiting for her to prove them right. She didn't fear that anymore. Ever since Emma's first kiss she knew she couldn't turn back. She had felt the love behind it and knew that was what she wanted. Love was better than hate or anger. It made Emma strong and it made her want to be good enough for the woman she loved.

"I know you're watching me." Emma muttered without opening her eyes, interrupting Regina's train of thought.

"I…"

Emma lifted one eyelid to peer sleepily at her fiancée and smiled. "At least cuddle me if you're awake."

Regina smiled back and inched closer to her, lifting one arm to slide over Emma's body. "Better?"

"Much."

They had only been engaged a few months, but since Emma's surprise proposal Regina had been finding it harder and harder to sleep. When she accepted, it had been in the heat of the moment, her love for Emma banishing any other thoughts. Later that day, she had tried talking to Emma, asking if marriage was really necessary.

_"This will show everyone we belong to each other… with each other."_

_"Our love is here to stay, we don't need a wedding. I know it and you know it, forget about everyone else."_

_"It's something normal. Growing up every old film or tv show I watched had the couples in love getting married, making them a real family." _

_"You have a family. You've got Henry and your parents…" Regina reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Emma's ear as she looked into her eyes. _

Emma hadn't understood then and now it was too late to tell her. She'd suggested a long engagement as an alternative, intending to visit Archie for his help to work through her issues. Emma was just so happy with the idea of their marriage she had agreed without listening.

Regina had been surprised by Snow's happy reaction to the engagement. It seemed that her daughter's big day would finally give her a chance to be part of her life. Her input was welcomed by Emma, the idea of bonding with her mother over flowers and dresses one of the first times Regina had seen her care about any of those subjects. Before she knew what was happening, Snow and Emma were making real plans for the wedding. There were bridal magazines on their bedside tables, guest lists were being drawn up and Emma was asking her opinion about which month they should marry in.

The days became hazy, her mind trying to protect her heart, allowing her to continue with her daily routines. Snow roped Ruby into taking Regina dress shopping, but here she put her foot down. They weren't even in the shop. The moment she saw the white dresses in the window she had a flashback of the day she was being fitted for her last one.

Fleeing to Archie's office, she managed to gain control of herself before she could knock on the door. After the hyperventilating was over, she sank into one of the waiting room chairs, propping her elbows onto her knees and lowering her head into her hands. With her eyes closed she allowed the tears to fall.

Later she was grateful no one had passed by to see her. She wasn't sure whether Archie had been in his office with a client or taking Pongo for a walk. Either way, it gave her a chance to remove all signs that anything had been wrong. She magicked herself home and splashed some cold water on her face, reapplied her make-up and called Ruby to apologise for her departure. Ruby accepted the excuse she came up with and suggested rescheduling. Regina politely declined. She would wear something similar to her work clothes - neither Snow White or Prince Charming had enough understanding of this world to take over as mayor of the small town – but agreed to purchase something new. That was part of the wedding tradition after all.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a new entry in her diary. Regina took the little book out to her secretary to ask about it. She didn't remember any conversations cancelling the previous meeting, which had now been crossed through just above it.

"Oh yes, Emma rang."

"It's just a time and place. Did she say why?"

"Sorry." Amy shrugged and passed it back. "She phoned in and said she'd made the appointment for both of you. Luckily I was able to move a few things around and…"

"Without discussing it with me, first?"

"I assumed you knew about it."

"No. I've been slaving over budget reports for the meeting, which I thought was tonight…"

"Everyone seemed relieved to have another week to…"

"A week?" Regina's tone suddenly reminded her secretary whom she was dealing with. "If this isn't agreed by…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Important works are going to be delayed…" Regina slammed the diary shut and took a deep breath. "In the future, I would appreciate it if you would talk to me before cancelling important appointments."

Amy hoped she wasn't about to get a fireball aimed at her head. "Perhaps you could colour-code them?"

"What?"

"You could mark things to indicate which are important in red, so I know not to change them. The ones in blue I discuss with you first and anything in green is okay to change if I think the new thing is more important. I mean, as your secretary, people are going to come to me before arranging to see you so…"

Regina smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

Amy's shoulders sagged in relief. She was going to live.

"Please try to get hold of Emma for me, I would like to see exactly what she has planned for this evening. She knew about the meeting, so I assume that whatever it is will be important."

* * *

><p>Regina stood outside Henry's school, frowning at Emma. Amy hadn't been able to contact the Sheriff, but from the location Regina assumed it was something to do with their son and decided it was important enough to attend.<p>

"Dance lessons?" She repeated for the second time as though she hadn't heard her properly.

"Yes." Emma smiled. "The school gym is big enough to practice in and Simon, one of the teachers, gives dance lessons on the side so it's perfect."

"I know how to dance."

"It's for the wedding. We're having music from this world too, remember?"

Regina tried to hide her annoyance and let Emma lead her inside. When she realised they would not be learning alone, she was even less amused. She recognised the teacher as one of the palace courtiers. In this world she had allowed him to teach, though she couldn't remember which subject – his only intelligence had lain in an ability not to take sides when she sought Snow White.

He was waiting for them. Snow and Charming were there as well. Emma smiled and slipped the backpack hung causally over her shoulder. She unzipped it and held it out towards Regina.

"Don't worry, I picked you up some comfy clothes from home. I didn't think you'd want to dance in your mayor outfits, in case they get wrinkled."

Regina recognised the grey material as her workout t-shirt. She only wore those clothes at home, where no-one could see her. There was no way she would wear them here.

She re-zipped the backpack and thrust it back towards Emma. "I'll be fine."

"But your heels…"

"I've danced in less comfortable footwear."

Before Emma could ask, Simon was gliding towards them and welcoming them. "Have you considered which dances you would like to learn first? Perhaps that First Dance to your Special Song?"

"I already know how to dance." Regina muttered.

"Ah yes, I remember." Simon smiled at her. "But perhaps there are one or two songs particular to this world, where the more formal style of dance is not suitable, hmm?"

"Exactly." Emma beamed at him. "I have been thinking about the playlist. People like to dance at weddings, so we want lots of upbeat songs and those old-world waltzes seemed a bit outdated…. Except for the first dance, like you said, that will be to Our Song and it's slow enough that I'd like to try the proper dancing…"

"Excellent. I'll show you the selection I brought with me today and then if there's anything else I can bring it next time. What sort of dances are you used to?"

As Simon led Emma to where he had set up his music player, Regina trailed a few steps behind. Snow took a few hesitating steps towards her, as if afraid of her reaction, then looked for her husband. Charming, as always, had followed by her side.

"I've been talking to some of the court musicians from our world. They've offered to play some of the old songs for the wedding, and they'll record them so Emma can practice the steps." Snow explained.

Regina ground her teeth together and nodded to be polite. She didn't want to talk to Snow. If only Emma had spoken to her about this, she could have suggested that they have private lesson just the two of them. It wasn't that she worried about dancing in front of the two idiots, she just wanted there to be some part of the wedding where they weren't involved.

Half an hour later and Regina was prompting Emma to twirl during one of the dances. Emma kept looking down at her feet, little huffs of air passing between her lips as she concentrated. Although she hadn't stepped on Regina's toes yet, she was conscious that it was a possibility. At one point Emma suggested that she could just sway and let Regina twirl and do all the fancy moves. Thankfully Simon intervened and suggested that it was David's turn to dance with Emma. Regina retreated to the far end of the room to watch as Simon partnered Snow.

"I wish I could dance like that." Emma admitted looking over her fathers shoulder.

"I'd offer to help you practice but I'm a bad dancer." David whispered to Emma as he watched the other couple trying to copy their moves. "Perhaps your mother…"

"I just want the wedding to be perfect. Do you think it was a mistake bringing Regina today? She already knows all of this, but I wanted a chance to dance with her and we've both been so busy we haven't spent much time together lately. I just wanted to show her that I'm trying to learn so if I mess up on the day she won't be upset."

David's steps faltered as her words sunk in but Emma didn't notice. "Have you spoken to her about this?"

"Well, no… and maybe I shouldn't have left this as a surprise…"

"Probably not."

"It's just that I was speaking to Simon when I dropped Henry off at school and all the arrangements were last minute."

"I know, your mother explained. Even if she doesn't want to take the classes, I'll come and be your partner. It's really not fair on her, having to dance with me when she's so good. Maybe talk to Regina and find something else you can do together for the wedding. I know she's busy with work but it will be here sooner than you realise."

"Thanks." Emma blinked and stopped moving - the song had come to the end.

Snow and Simon were over by the speakers, already looking over the next tracks. Emma looked around and noticed Regina was checking her cell for messages. She hoped there wasn't going to be a faked emergency to excuse her leaving early.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma crawled into the bed, her eyes already closing from exhaustion. It had been another late night at work, thanks to more of Leroy's drunken antics. Pulling the blankets up to her chin, she reached out for Regina wanting to fall asleep with their bodies pressed together. She heard Regina mumbling something and assumed she was talking to her.

"It's only me, I'm sorry it's so late, go back to sleep." she yawned as her hand moved over Regina's hips.

Except Regina wasn't awake. The real world somehow became merged with her dreams and Regina struggled, kicking out and moving her arms to free herself. Emma gasped as Regina's foot made contact with her skin and backed away before Regina could elbow her in the stomach. She felt magic fill the room and was more than a little scared.

"Regina, wake up." she tried, hoping her voice would get through.

The air grew heavy from the weight of Regina's unconscious powers and all Emma could do was reach out to try and regain contact with her body. Her fingertips curled around Regina's arm, her voice still gently calling to her.

Regina screamed out a final 'No!' before she jolted awake. The magic remained like an aftertaste at the back of her throat as she tried to calm enough to regain control. Her breathing was heaving and she pulled away from Emma's touch, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Regina?" Emma was concerned, so she tried to move closer but the look in Regina's eyes stopped her from touching her again. "You were just having a bad dream."

Regina nodded, but didn't speak.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Regina shook her head. Emma didn't know what to do. She wondered whether she should call Archie. Slowly, Regina pushed back the blankets and moved out of the bed.

"I need… I'm going to get something to drink. You should go to sleep."

"Regina…"

"I'm fine." Regina grabbed her dressing gown and slipped out of the room before Emma could stop her.

Laying back on the bed, Emma couldn't close her eyes. She could still feel the magic in the room and she was worried about Regina, so she waited for her to return. When the clock showed nearly half an hour had passed, she tiptoed over to retrieve her own dressing gown and went to look for Regina. She found her sitting in the kitchen, a full tumbler of cider on the counter in front of her, just staring out of the window.

"Please talk to me." Emma whispered, not wanting to startle her. "Tell me what's wrong."

Regina turned her head, watching Emma sit down next to her. She wanted to tell her, she wanted to explain how everything was happening so fast, but she didn't think Emma would understand.

"It was just a bad dream. A nightmare."

"That won't help," Emma nodded to the tumbler. "Are you sure nothing else is bothering you? You're not having second thoughts about…us?"

"I love you. It's just the wedding, everything's happening so fast…"

"It will all be over soon. I know my mother's a bit suffocating with all the preparations, but she means well. Then we'll be together, just us and Henry."

Regina reached out and put a hand on top of Emma's. "We're together now."

"Yeah, but this way… don't you see, everyone will know how much we love each other?"

Regina realised she had to do some damage control and fast. She didn't want to lose Emma; she loved her so much. Telling her the truth would just upset her.

"You're right and I do want us to be happy."

"We are, but this… it's just meant to be. I love you Regina."

"I love you too."

Emma held out her arms. "Come back to bed?"

Regina gave in.

* * *

><p>"Wedding tomorrow!" Snow's singsong voice carried through the mansion to where Regina was trying to hide in the bathroom.<p>

Thanks to Emma's warning about her mother's arrival time, Regina had been able to plan an excuse to leave after a polite ten minutes spent in her company. Archie was expecting her and if Snow tried to keep her any longer, he was under strict instructions to ring and save her. She had already re-folded the towels on the rail twice and organised the cabinet behind the mirror, at least if anyone asked she could tell them truthfully that she had been busy. Ten minutes. That was all she had to spend in the cheerful woman's presence. Letting out a sigh, Regina opened the bathroom door and proceeded down the stairs.

"Isn't it exciting," Snow greeted her. "I hope we've remembered everything."

Of course they had. As if Snow would allow any small detail to slip through the cracks for her baby girl's wedding. Regina smiled politely back at her and went to stand by Emma.

"Now, what time does your bachelorette party start?" Snow asked. "I need to make sure we have Emma out of here in time."

"Seven." Regina reminded her. "Is David still picking Henry up from school?"

"Yes, they're going to have so much fun on their own at the loft. Ruby has given us the whole of the top floor for Emma's party…"

"I think that was to give Granny some peace and quiet." Emma told her.

"Well, anyway it was very good of them. I've spoken to Belle and arranged our schedules at each place so we don't accidentally meet up."

"I still don't understand why we can't share the parties." Emma grumbled.

"It's your last night of freedom, a chance to go out drinking as an unmarried woman. From tomorrow…"

"I don't think I'll be doing anything tonight that I wouldn't do any other night." Emma promised Regina.

"I didn't say you have to," Snow frowned.

"Don't worry." Regina tried to reassure Emma, slipping a hand into hers. "I trust you."

Emma smiled and leaned into her. "I trust you too."

* * *

><p>Snow had somehow divided their friends into two groups. Emma would be going out with Snow, Ashley, Ruby and Johanna. Regina was left with Granny, Belle, Kathryn and a late addition of Archie. She had invited him shortly after their meeting that day, intending to spend the evening quietly at home with a few movies and her 'gang'. She suggested he might like to come along for slightly selfish purposes – if they started talking to her about the wedding she might need his help not to react. The films were all comedies with minimal romance, and nothing with weddings in. She calculated they would be finished watching them in plenty of time for an early night.<p>

By ten pm, her plans had gone out of the window. Ruby had shown up early in the evening with a new plan: a scavenger hunt. Each group would head out into Storybrooke to complete different tasks – either finding or doing something, which she claimed would be lots of fun. She had explained that this way she could share the same things Emma would be doing, even though they didn't have to see each other. Being outnumbered, Regina gave in. Ruby assured her that the list was taken from an internet search, and not just from the things she had thought up.

The first item on the list was simple: gather up the traditional wedding items (something old, new, borrowed and blue) from anywhere except at home. Belle suggested a library book for something borrowed, Archie remembered some blue flowers growing near his office, Granny offered to go to the diner and find the oldest coin in the till and Regina thought they should go to the shops to buy something that would be new. They set out, having to stay together for the tasks, and quickly picked up everything they needed. Once everything was together, Belle took a photo and sent it to Ruby.

A few minutes later, a reply photo came back, congratulating them on winning and showing their incomplete 'treasures'. Time for the second task.

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><p>Regina wasn't sure what time she finally crawled into bed. Her feet ached, her legs ached, her back ached… but she had enjoyed it. She checked her phone before switching off the bedside lamp, smiling at Emma's message and sending a reply.<p>

When she woke, it was her wedding day.


End file.
